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Altaira
Superuser
Jan 26, 4:32am
Post #1 of 13
(585 views)
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1-25-26 ANNOUNCEMENT - BOARDS MIGRATING TO NEW PLATFORM
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Greetings!
Everyone here is aware how slow the boards have been. Thanks to all of you for persevering to get in! This is to let you know that help is on the way!
In the next 4-6 weeks these forums will be migrated to a new cloud software platform: Xenforo. Once migrated, through an agreement with TORn, Xenforo will take care of all data storage and software updates on the back end. I will still be the ‘Superuser’ and administer the forums on a day-to-day basis, along with the current forum admins.
Why is this necessary? The old Gossamer Forum software is no longer compatible with modern SSL server standards, so the current boards cannot run on TORn’s newer server. The old server is old and rickety and needs to be retired. In addition, the forum developers stopped supporting Gforum years ago, so it eventually became outdated, and unable to defend against modern, sophisticated internet bots that slowed the site down significantly.
The good news is that all of the threads, posts, private messages, and user information on these boards since their inception in 2007 will be migrated, so none of it will be lost! The only thing that will not migrate is passwords. So, you will eventually have to log in and create a new password once the migration is complete.
Unfortunately, the one thing we’re going to unavoidably lose is ‘threaded’ mode. Some of you will rejoice at this, while others will gnash your teeth. But the sad fact is that only a very few forum platforms offer it any more, and those that do take someone with developer skills who can dedicate themselves to set-up and maintenance. Also, they don’t offer migration services, so we’d have to start over from square one.
Therefore, Xenforo is really the best option. To be sure, it will take some getting used to, but having newer and more robust features will make it well worth it. There *is* a ‘in reply to’ feature that will help keep track of the conversations.
Check back here for updates. If you can’t get in, you can email me at altaira@theonering.net with any questions. But, keep in mind that we’re still at the very initial stages of getting this going, so I don’t have any answers to questions about how things will look or work. I’m guessing that will take at least 3-4 weeks, and will also all be laid out in a new board FAQ.
Keep persevering, and we’ll have shiny, new forums soon!
(This post was edited by Altaira on Jan 26, 5:44am)
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Jan 26, 7:30pm
Post #2 of 13
(537 views)
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What a monumental Quest! That TORn can be saved is such a relief. And that the guts of our Community since 2007 can also be saved has put a huge smile of relief on this ol' gammer's face, though it sounds like the posts previous to 2007 won't make the trip. *sniffle* Still... this is a fair trade, imho!
Praise our TORn home and Admins with great praise!!! 
 
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
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Lissuin
Doriath
Jan 27, 3:40am
Post #3 of 13
(528 views)
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That is, indeed, good news and worthy of a toast with the best ale in the Shire.
[Inline Hobbitcheer.jpeg]
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Lissuin
Doriath
Jan 27, 3:50am
Post #4 of 13
(528 views)
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That is, indeed, good news and worthy of a toast with the best ale in the Shire!
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Felagund
Mithlond
Jan 28, 1:57pm
Post #5 of 13
(512 views)
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Not sure if this migration is the cause but most of my login attempts are resulting in a 'You are banned' notice. If I've been actually banned, then that's on me but the Internet tells me that this is a relatively common problem for Message Board denizens. Is there anything you can do in the interim to help?
Cheers in advance!
Welcome to the Mordorfone network, where we put the 'hai' back into Uruk
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NottaSackville
Doriath
Jan 28, 2:46pm
Post #6 of 13
(506 views)
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It's such a gift to have so many people that are still willing to spend the time and effort to keep our little community going. Your work is greatly appreciated!
Happiness: money matters, but less than we think and not in the way that we think. Family is important and so are friends, while envy is toxic -- and so is excessive thinking. Beaches are optional. Trust is not. Neither is gratitude. - The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner as summarized by Lily Fairbairn. And a bit of the Hobbit reading thrown in never hurts. - NottaSackville
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Otaku-sempai
Elvenhome
Jan 28, 6:15pm
Post #7 of 13
(495 views)
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And I'm glad to see that the 'bots have been beaten back for now.
“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella
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Altaira
Superuser
Jan 28, 9:02pm
Post #8 of 13
(486 views)
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Banning legitimate users is accidental (and a note on vpns)
[In reply to]
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First off, you for sure haven't been banned.
To fight the bots, I have to ban IP address ranges because they're so sophisticated now that their IP address changes slightly with every click they make. But, the first group of numbers is usually the same, or very similar.
As most of the bots are from China, India, etc., it's usually safe to do it that way because the chances of accidentally banning a legitimate user is low. However, it's not zero. In fact, I've accidentally banned myself several times because even static IP addressed change periodically! 
I'll look into it and tweak things which should fix it. 
Also, a note to anyone who uses a vpn to protect your browsing location: sometimes IP address vpns use to mask your location may, temporarily, be in a banned range. The solution is either to close your browser and re-open it, or turn off the vpn while using TORn. Not sure how the new forums will handle this, but it may not be an issue soon. That's a bridge we'll cross in the near future.
(This post was edited by Altaira on Jan 28, 9:20pm)
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cats16
Gondolin
Feb 2, 8:52pm
Post #9 of 13
(413 views)
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Thanks so much for the update!
[In reply to]
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Sounds like great things are coming soon - very exciting! Thanks so you and everyone behind the scenes sorting it all out.
Join us every weekend in the Hobbit movie forum for this week's CHOW (Chapter of the Week) discussion!
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noWizardme
Gondolin
Feb 5, 5:13pm
Post #10 of 13
(378 views)
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Best of luck with the migration to the new software...
[In reply to]
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Best of luck with the migration to the new software. And thank you to all those doing the work!
~~~~~~
"I am not made for querulous pests." Frodo 'Spooner' Baggins.
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Meneldor
Doriath
Feb 8, 7:08pm
Post #11 of 13
(345 views)
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Not sure if this migration is the cause but most of my login attempts are resulting in a 'You are banned' notice. If I've been actually banned, then that's on me but the Internet tells me that this is a relatively common problem for Message Board denizens. Is there anything you can do in the interim to help?
Cheers in advance! I think it's been more than a month since I was able to even read here. It's still very slow and glitchy today. I'm looking forward to the move.
They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters, these see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. -Psalm 107
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Lossefalme
Mithlond
Feb 16, 10:34pm
Post #12 of 13
(220 views)
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All good info and it IS time for an update. I appreciate all of your hard work and care!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Aragorn threw back his cloak. The elven-sheath glittered as he grasped it, and the bright blade of Andúril shone like a sudden flame as he swept it out. “Elendil!” he cried. “I am Aragorn son of Arathorn, and am called Elessar, the Elfstone, Dúnadan, the heir of Isildur Elendil’s son of Gondor. Here is the Sword that was Broken and is forged again! Will you aid me or thwart me? Choose swiftly!” TTT, Book III, Chapter 2
And Éomer answered: “Since the day when you rose before me out of the green grass of the downs I have loved you, and that love shall not fail.” RotK, Book VI, Chapter 5
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Finding Frodo
Dor-Lomin
Sat, 2:12am
Post #13 of 13
(82 views)
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I’m delighted to learn that I didn’t accidentally offend someone and lose my TORnsibs, even though I’m not around much. Thank you, Admins!
Where's Frodo?
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